


New Favorite Memory

by msred



Series: Puckleberry Shuffle [9]
Category: Glee
Genre: Brad Paisley - Freeform, Broadway Rachel, F/M, Music label Puck, New York
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-11
Updated: 2012-06-11
Packaged: 2017-11-07 11:50:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/430843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msred/pseuds/msred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And there it is/Baby, don't move,/I wanna soak this in/I've got a new favorite memory of you."</p><p>And of all the looks Rachel had, the one she gave him next was Puck's favorite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Favorite Memory

**New Favorite Memory – Brad Paisley ~ { www[dot]youtube[dot]com/watch?v=AREBlLjpcJU}**

**_You're fumbling around in the bedroom,  
Trying to put on your shoes,  
Hair still down, dress half on,  
Looking like you're about to blow a fuse.  
I know what's about to happen,  
I can read you like a book,  
You're about to shoot that cute little "yeah, we're late" look..._ **

The first thing Puck heard when he walked into the apartment was a crash ( _please be that god-awful lamp by the nightstand)_ and a loud "Ow, shit!" That couldn't be good. At 22, Rachel still believed that cursing was 'not only crude and unnecessary, but made the speaker sound downright unintelligent.' He never failed to point out that she couldn't seem to control the string of curse words that left her mouth when she was writhing beneath him (or on top of him, he wasn't picky), and yet she was anything but unintelligent in the bedroom. That never changed her argument.

He made his way tentatively toward the bedroom, a little worried about what he might find. He loved his girl more than anything, but he was the first to acknowledge that the closer opening night got, the more volatile she got. He never said more than necessary about it, he knew what a big deal this was for her and, though she tried to hide it, she still had her fair share of insecurities. And no matter how much she argued with him about it, he still felt a pang of guilt about that from time to time; he would always feel partly to blame. So with the exception of that time her bad rehearsal ended with a hairbrush whizzing by his head (she wasn't _exactly_ aiming for him, it was more like bad placement, but still), he just let her be bitchy then held her and stroked her hair and back until she cried herself to sleep afterward.

Puck pushed the door open slowly and peeked around it into the room. Rachel sat at the end of the bed cradling her right foot in her hands, apparently inspecting whatever injury she had just endured. "Baby? Everything okay in here?" His heart swelled a little when she smiled up at him from beneath her lashes. The red cocktail dress he had helped her pick out (" _'S fuckin' hot, baby."_ ) was on up to her waist, the top half gathered around her hips so that her upper body was clad only in a lacy bra that matched the hue of her dress perfectly, and she was wearing only one shoe. There were some things he would never understand about women, even _his_ woman, like why on earth she would move on to one part of getting ready when she was only half finished with the previous part. But as he took in the view, he wasn't complaining either. He knew she wasn't 'finished' with her hair either because it was still flowing freely around her shoulders, but he hoped to get her out the door before she could do anything about it, and that had almost nothing to do with the fact that they were already late.

"Yes Noah, everything's fine. I was just having some trouble with these shoes," she kicked the offending right shoe with her already stiletto-clad left foot, "and when I reached out to Aunt Jo's lamp for help, it just refused to comply." Puck smirked at her; she still used way too many words, but shit was witty sometimes. ( _And, bonus, it_ was _that hideous lamp in pieces on the floor.)_

He crossed the room and knelt in front of her, brushing her own hands away gently and cradling her foot and calf in his. She flinched when his thumb brushed over the inside of her ankle. "I lost my balance and banged it on the corner of the nightstand. It's fine, really, probably just going to leave a bruise." He squeezed her calf gently with his left hand for good measure before lowering her foot gingerly to the floor.

"Alright, I gotta go take a leak," he grabbed the mattress on either side of her hips and used the leverage to push himself back up to stand in front of her. "Try not to get in a fight with the dresser while I'm gone, 'k slugger?" He smirked again and kissed the top of her head, grabbing her wrist and squeezing when she reached out to swat at him.

"Babe," he called out from across the hall, slipping his phone into his pocket, "Blaine keeps textin' me." He walked into the room, still adjusting his belt, to find Rachel hopping on her left foot, her right leg bent up behind her and her right hand tugging at the heel of the shoe that was apparently still plaguing her. "Everybody's on their way." He covered it pretty well, but he knew she could still hear the amused lilt to his voice.

Rachel dropped her right foot to the floor, her designer stiletto sandal falling and landing unceremoniously on its side. She planted both hands on her hips and looked back at him, lips pursed and head tilted to the side. She didn't say a word, but he heard, clear as day, _'Yes Noah, I know we're late. But do you really expect me to leave the house looking anything less than impeccable?'_ And no, he didn't expect her to leave the house looking anything less than impeccable, because she never did. It wasn't possible. "Maybe we just shouldn't go. We're late anyway, maybe it would be best if we don't keep them waiting and just let them have dinner without us." Her gaze shifted from him to the bed, suddenly very interested in something there that he couldn't see.

"Baby," Puck groaned and rolled his eyes, letting his head drop back for a moment before walking to stand behind her. He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder before reaching around her to tug the straps of the dress up and over her arms. "Mine and Blaine's apartment and Kurt's condo are playin' host to half the 2012 graduatin' class of McKinley High right now." He zipped the back of the dress. "And they're all here to see _you_ , little girl."

"Ten people is hardly half the class, Noah," she tried to sound stern, but her head fell forward in response to the way his hands moved across her shoulders, and she knew he wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "they're the only ones that matter; the only ones smart enough to get their asses up here to see my girl's opening night before she gets so famous there's like, a waiting list, or some shit." Rachel whimpered softly when Puck's hands left her body, but he was in front of her before she could truly protest. "Now, you're gonna finish getting ready, and we're gonna go have dinner and drinks with our oldest friends, and you _are_ gonna enjoy yourself." He kissed her quickly on the lips. "Got it?" She bit her bottom lip lightly to hold back her smile and nodded. "Good."

Puck held her face in both his hands and drew her head forward to kiss her forehead before lowering himself to his knees in front of her. Rachel didn't say anything, just tilted her head and watched him curiously as he first picked up her discarded shoe with his left hand, then lifted her foot off the floor with his right. She continued to watch, transfixed, while he slid the shoe under her foot before lowering the same foot gently onto it. He wiggled the shoe over her toes then worked the clasp with nimble fingers, opening then reclosing it once he had secured the strap around her ankle. Before he stood, he slid his left hand up the back of her calf, stilling his movement just behind her knee.

Rachel felt goosebumps prickle her skin in response to the feel of Puck's warm hand sliding up her leg. She couldn't take her eyes off him; she was drawn like a magnet to even the simple act of him helping her with her shoe. She continued to stare even as his eyes closed and he leaned forward to press his lips warmly against her thigh, just below the hem of her dress. "I love you, Noah."

"Love you too, babe." His hand tightened once more around her leg just before he stood to drop one more kiss to her temple. "Now let's get movin'."

**_And there it is,  
Baby, don't move,  
I wanna soak this in,  
I've got a new favorite memory of you._ **

**_~.~_ **

**_Driving through town, running red lights  
You take my hand in the car,  
Finally make it to the restaurant,  
And our friends are two drinks in at the bar.  
I know what's about to happen,  
Yeah, folks don't change that dial,  
She's about to light the room up with a laugh and a smile..._ **

The taxi rolled through what Rachel knew was the last stoplight before the restaurant where all their high school friends were waiting just as it changed from yellow to red. "Noah, maybe … Maybe we should just go back home. We don't have to do this." She reached across the short distance between them to slide her hand into his.

Puck lifted her hand to his lips. "Screw that. I'm payin' for a cab, we're goin'."

"But, what if …" she stopped even trying when the cab pulled to the curb and Puck opened the passenger side door, pulling her gently across the seat and out of the car.

"Thanks man. I got your number. Call ya when we're done here." Puck reached through the front window to pay the driver, quite possibly the first he'd had since moving to New York who didn't make him fear for his life every second of the way (slight ignorance of a few red lights aside). "Baby," he turned Rachel's head from where her eyes were still following the cab as it pulled away, "these are our friends, remember? Rach, who slashed 26 sets of Range Rover tires?" Rachel groaned and rolled her eyes, trying to pull away from her boyfriend. "Okay, bad example. But who ran, singing and dancing, through these very streets with you the _first_ time you got to perform in New York?" He watched her eyes soften as she looked back at him. "And who had your back when you squeezed that cute little ass in a football uniform to face guys three times your size, at least."

"You," she murmured weakly.

"Nope." Her eyes shot up at him almost accusingly. "I mean, yeah, me. But also Finn, and Artie, and Mike, Sam, Tina, Mercedes and even Lauren." He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, his wrists crossed at the small of her back so that his fingertips brushed the top of her butt. "Baby, in two days you're makin' your Broadway fuckin' debut. They just wanna share that with you, to support you. You don't want to take that away from them, do you?" Puck smirked as she huffed and turned on her heel toward the entrance of the restaurant. He swore he heard her mumbling something about 'stupid Jewish guilt.'

Puck almost felt bad for the other patrons, because the small restaurant practically exploded with noise when he and Rachel walked through the door. All their old friends were lingering around the bar when Brittany spotted them coming in.

"Puckleberry!"

"Rachel!"

"Hey guys!"

"Puckerman."

"Ohmygoshcongratulations!"

Rachel's mood visibly lifted as the greetings kept coming and their friends rushed them, Brittany and Tina almost knocking her over when they raced to give her a hug. Puck hung back a little as the obviously flustered hostess corralled the group and began to lead them to their large round booth in a back corner of the dining room.

"She nervous?" Blaine sidled up to him after draining the last of his vodka tonic and handing the glass to the bartender.

"Dude, you have no idea. She tried to talk me out of coming. I think she was more nervous about this than the actual show Friday."

"She looks good now. Happy."

Puck only hummed and nodded in response. She did look happy, Brittany clinging to one arm possessively and Sam, Mike, and Tina all trying to claim her attention on the other side.

"Did you ask her?"

"Yep. This morning."

"And?" Blaine arched an eyebrow at his friend and longtime roommate, grinning at the look of content on Puck's face as he watched Rachel.

"Yep." He didn't even try to stop his grin before hurrying to catch up with the others.

"So, Macie?" The red-head, who ended up immediately to Rachel's left when Brittany announced that she had to go to the restroom then proceeded to crawl under the table, smiled and nodded back at the tiny brunette. "We've heard a lot about you. Well," Rachel giggled a little, "I have, anyway. Most of Noah's conversations with Finn take place over an X-Box headset and consist of a lot of yelling and violence. But either way, it's great to finally meet you."

"You too," Macie's smile grew a little larger as she scooted a bit closer and leaned in, almost as if what she were about to divulge was some great secret. "To be honest, I've been pretty … intimidated, by you. So it means a lot that you invited me along. And that he wanted to bring me." The somewhat unconventionally pretty girl blushed, her face turning a little redder than her auburn hair.

Rachel's jaw just dropped. "Intimidated? By me?"

Macie nodded. "He's got you like, on this pedestal or something." Now it was Rachel's turn to blush, and she started to fidget, really wishing that Sam wasn't so close on her other side so she could move farther from Finn's girlfriend of just over a year. "I mean," Macie interjected quickly, probably noticing Rachel's discomfort, "I know you guys used to date, but that's not what I'm talking about. I was talking about both of you, really." She nodded across the table at Puck, who was listening to something Mercedes was saying but keeping his eyes on his girlfriend. "It's almost like he idolizes you two." Rachel was still blushing, but it was no longer out of discomfort, and she just smiled. "And, yeah, I want Puck to like me too, but I was really hoping, well, I think it would be really great if you and I could be friends."

Rachel reached across the bench to place one hand over Macie's, which she had just noticed were busy wringing in her lap. "I think that would be wonderful."

When Brittany returned from the restroom, she didn't crawl back to Rachel's side. Instead, she insisted that the song playing was her 'absolute favorite' and that they all had to dance. The others looked around the dining room nervously; they had already caused a bit of a disturbance in the small restaurant, but it was nearly empty now, save for their group and two older couples a few tables away. Deciding that they had been there long enough that it would still be a good night even if they got kicked out now, most of the group agreed. Waving Macie's hand away with a smile when she reached out to her as Finn pulled his girlfriend out of the booth, Rachel stayed where she was, opting instead to watch her friends enjoy themselves.

Kurt decided that dancing was the perfect opportunity to take care of something that had been bothering him all night, so he only smiled and shook his head, pointing at Santana, when Blaine approached him with his hand outstretched. Blaine nodded in understanding before sneaking up behind the Latina, eliciting first a shriek then a laugh as she turned in his arms and began dancing with him.

"Care to dance?" Kurt asked the blonde, who was no longer in the booth, but wasn't dancing either, instead choosing to stare daggers into her drink. It hadn't gone unnoticed by him that Quinn was the only one to have not hugged Rachel or offered her some form of congratulations. Even Finn's girlfriend seemed to be bonding with her. Instead, Quinn had managed to always find a position that was both as far from Rachel and yet as close to Puck as possible, but said almost nothing to either.

"Who does she think she's kidding?" Quinn forcefully set her glass down on the back of the booth bench. "I mean, they've barely even said two words to each other all night. It's all about Rachel Berry, isn't it? Does she even care that this isn't _him_? All this Broadway stuff?"

Kurt watched his old frenemy with concerned eyes. For the most part, Quinn had grown up a lot over the past few years, but there were times, like now, when the old, scared, insecure Quinn came out swinging. "The few times she made any sign of affection toward him whatsoever, I _know_ she knew I was watching. And I'm sure he's putting on the same show for Finn. Did you see the way he was looking at her when she was talking to that girl Finn's seeing? _What_ are you doing?"

Quinn was halfway across the makeshift dance floor that her former classmates had made before she realized Kurt was dragging her by her elbow. "I don't want them to hear you. You've already made a big enough fool of yourself tonight, no need to make it worse." Quinn gasped indignantly and tried to pull away from him, but Kurt had gotten her where he wanted her and wrapped his right arm around her waist, taking her right hand in his left. Before she could get away, she was, quite unwillingly, dancing with him. "Why are you here, Quinn?" Kurt finally sighed.

"I wanted to see the – the show." She huffed, refusing to meet Kurt's eyes.

"No you didn't," Kurt answered, almost sadly. "You wanted to check up on them, to see if he's really happy with her." She looked back at him wide-eyed, unable to answer for a moment. Kurt waited.

Quinn broke her gaze with Kurt to look around the dance floor at all their old friends. They all looked so … happy; Blaine and Puck dancing with Santana and Brittany and encouraging their general silliness, Finn with his new, tall, girlfriend. Even Mercedes and Sam looked content with one another's company so many years after their relationship had crashed and burned almost as spectacularly as her own with Sam had. And Mike and Tina, well, Quinn couldn't even look at them. If there was so much happiness to go around, she refused to believe she was the only one without it; there was just no way that this Puckleberry thing was all that they wanted everyone to believe it was. That just wasn't the Puck she had known. "Well?" She finally demanded, "So what if I did. She's – she's just not right for him. I don't believe he's really happy here, and that's not fair to him. We have a child toge-,"

"Don't even finish that word," Kurt cut her off, glaring at her. "You do _not_ have a child together. You _had_ a baby together. There's a big difference." Quinn wouldn't look at him. "Did you know that he asked her to move in with him this morning? Or, rather, that he asked if he could move in with her?" Quinn's eyes grew to the size of silver dollars and she shook her head. "Quinn, do you really believe he's not happy, that is this all a show for you and Finn?" She again wouldn't meet his eyes. "Oh brother dear!" Kurt called across Mike's and Tina's heads to get Finn's attention. Finn left Macie in the care of Brittany, who had also just lost her dance partner, before weaving through the pairs to get to Kurt and Quinn.

"What's up?" Finn asked when he was at his step-brother's side. "Quinn," he nodded at her.

"What do you think about those two, anyway?" Kurt nodded toward the booth, where Puck was sliding toward the middle and dropping his arm over Rachel's shoulders.

Finn smiled a little, almost like a child watching his parents holding hands or dancing together in the kitchen, before answering. "I think they're awesome." The three watched as Rachel looked up at Puck even while the two carried on a conversation with Artie, who had stayed at the table with her while the others danced. Suddenly Rachel's laugh rang out through the restaurant, and they watched as her head fell back and Puck's face fell into the crook of her neck. They saw him kiss her there softly before lifting his head again so she could drop hers and continue gazing him, a hint of happy tears glistening in her eyes. "She never looked at me like that," Finn said with a small smile and not a hint of regret in his voice. Then he looked over to where Macie danced with Brittany. "She does." His smile grew a little wider.

"Thanks buddy." Kurt clapped his step-brother on the back and sent him on his way. "Well?" He turned back to Quinn, one eyebrow cocked.

"Finn's oblivious," she replied, her voice sounding small.

"No Quinn, Finn's happy. Just like them." He saw her tear up a little. "Do you even want him?" He didn't need to say a name for both to know he was talking about Puck. Quinn only shrugged. "That's a no," he chuckled. "Quinn," he waited for her to look up at him. "Rachel Berry is not your enemy; she's not your competitor. Her happiness doesn't preclude yours. Look, Rachel and Puck are going to move in together, starting immediately, most likely, and odds are he'll make an honest woman out of her within the year. And then, Noah and Rachel Puckerman will live happily ever after." He stopped to wipe away a single tear that had fallen to Quinn's cheek when he heard her sniffle. "But that doesn't mean you won't, too." She nodded and kissed Kurt on the cheek before letting him lead her back to the table.

"Brittany wear you out?" Rachel laughed as Puck slid in beside her. Artie had kept her company, and she enjoyed talking to him while they watched the others dance, but she had barely had her Noah at her side all night, and she missed him.

Puck sighed loudly before closing his hand around Rachel's shoulder and pulling her tighter into his side. "Geez man, girl's like the fuckin' Energizer Bunny!"

Artie smirked. "Yeah, well you outta see -,"

"Dude!" Puck interjected quickly. "You're my boy and all, but that is _not_ a mental image I want!" Rachel gasped and elbowed him in the side just hard enough to take his breath away for a second.

"What?" Artie asked, eyes wide in feigned innocence. "I was just going to say you should see her when she's drinking coffee. I remember one time back in high school, she'd had two freaking cups, and she was like, cleaning her parents' house on overdrive."

Puck watched Rachel out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes never left his face, but he knew she was listening to every word out of Artie's mouth. His girl was good like that. As Artie talked, Puck watched Rachel's face change. Her eyes crinkled a little at the corners, and she started to chew on her bottom lip. He knew what was coming, and he couldn't wait for Artie to get to the punch line, just so he could see it.

"When she finished she crashed and passed out, then when she woke up she asked me why her house smelled like a lemon factory and why Lord Tubbington was naked. Yeah, she vacuumed him. Twice."

Puck watched with satisfaction as Rachel's head fell back and her laugh filled the restaurant, not in an obnoxious way, but in a way that had everyone looking at them. When he lifted his head from her shoulder – he couldn't resist, her neck was right there and it was wide open, and why would he even try? – he saw the old guys at the one other occupied table in the place smiling at him. One nodded and the other winked, both silently congratulating him. He appreciated the gesture, but it totally wasn't necessary. He already knew what he had.

**_And there it is,  
Baby, don't move,  
I wanna soak this in,  
I've got a new favorite memory of you_ **

**_~.~_ **

**_Yeah, I'm gonna fall farther,  
Baby, I know, wait for it  
Wait for it,  
Here I go...  
You're fumbling around in the bedroom,  
Trying to take off your shoes,  
Hair back down, dress half off,  
You look at me..._ **

"Alright guys, it's been a great night, really, but I gotta get my girl home now." Puck nodded appreciatively at Sam as the blonde followed Mike out of the booth to allow Puck to make his own way out, pulling Rachel along with an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry guys," Rachel managed to squeak out around a yawn.

"Stop it, you're allowed to be tired," Puck murmured into her ear as he helped her to her feet. "B's got rehearsal all day startin' early, and I got a mornin' class before I go fetch coffee for snotty Sony assholes all day -,"

"Noah, you know that internship is an honor and your ticket into the industry." Rachel chided. "Besides, don't even try to pretend like you don't love it." Puck ignored her and kept talking.

" – but I'll see you guys tomorrow evening at m – Blaine's place for dinner."

"Wait, Rachel, you aren't coming to dinner?" Mercedes asked quickly, obviously disappointed at the small amount of time she had gotten to spend with her friend due to having to share her with everyone else.

"What do you mean you got class, Puckerman? Couldn't keep up with Wondergirl over here and graduate on time?" Puck rolled his eyes at Santana's question, which came out at nearly the exact same time as Mercedes's. He let Rachel answer first.

"I hope so," Rachel reassured her friend, "but it's the last full day of rehearsals before the show, so I can't make any promises." Mercedes, as well as Tina and Macie and many of the others, looked disappointed, but nodded in understanding.

Accepting Rachel's purse from Brittany, Puck turned to answer Santana's question. "December. I lost some 'a my credits when I transferred up here from OSU in Lima. I got two last classes to finish up, and Sony lets me work my internship schedule around 'em."

"They love my Noah. He's wonderful up there and I _know_ they'll be begging him to stick around once this internship is over and he's got that diploma in his hands." Rachel yawned once again and nestled her body into Puck's side, fisting his dress shirt in one hand as she clung to him.

"Okay girlie, time to get you in bed. Bet the cab's already waitin'." Puck dragged Rachel toward the exit even as she tried to stop and say 'one last thing' to each of her friends. He had already known she was tired, but when she started getting all clingy and mushy he _knew_ it was time to get her home. She may have been a fan of certain public displays of affection – they both had an almost unnatural need to touch each other no matter where they were – but she wasn't _that_ girl unless she was either drunk or almost deliriously sleepy.

The cab ride from the restaurant to her ( ** _their_** _, finally! Still getting' used to that shit)_ apartment at midnight on a Wednesday was only 15 minutes long, and Rachel slept for approximately 10 of them. When the cab pulled up in front of her ( _their)_ building, Puck paid the driver before exiting the cab, again tipping the man generously for driving carefully with his precious cargo. "C'mon Sleepin' Beauty, we're home." He couldn't help but smile when he thought that they really were home, not just her, but _them_. "I can carry you up, but'cha gotta get outta the car first."

"Silly Noah," Rachel giggled into his bicep as he reached into the car to help her out. "Not Sleeping Beauty, _Jasmine._ "

"Right. Jasmine. How could I forget?" Of course he didn't forget, but she wouldn't be Rachel if she didn't find some way to remind him that, in two days, she would be originating the role in the Broadway version of 'Aladdin.'

Puck huffed as he watched Rachel exit the elevator, a little unsteady on her feet. "Baby, I told ya I'd carry you up. You weigh, like, 10 pounds. Besides," he smirked, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist and drop his chin on her shoulder as she fumbled with the key in the lock, "I coulda carried you over the threshold."

"Noah," she dropped her head back against his shoulder, "we didn't just get married."

"Maybe," he shrugged, "but this is a big deal, right?"

"Of course it is Noah, it's a _huge_ deal." She turned within his arms so that she was facing him and brushed her nose against his. "It's a huge, wonderful, amazing deal." She squeezed his biceps in her hands and pressed her lips against his in a slow kiss. "Now let's go in _our_ apartment, get changed in _our_ bedroom, and climb into _our_ bed. The cool night air and the walk in woke me up a little, but it won't last long."

Puck nearly growled at what he _hoped_ she was implying, reaching around her to push the door open and barely taking the time to yank the key out of the handle as he scooted her into the apartment. He followed her closely into the bedroom, his eyes trained on her hands as her arms twisted behind her, trying to reach the zipper of her dress. He watched her for nearly a minute before approaching her, both amused at her attempt to do something that just was not going to happen and entranced at how she managed to look beautiful and graceful while doing it.

"Want some help, babe?" He saw her jump a little when his breath washed over her nearly bare shoulder. He smirked; she hadn't realized how close he was.

"Mmhmm," she purred, "thank you." Rachel pulled her hair over her right shoulder and tilted her head down and to that side.

Puck knew that she was trying to give him access to the zipper, but he didn't think she'd mind if he took advantage of the access she also gave him to her body. Really, if she expected him _not_ to attach his lips to her neck, starting just below her ear and kissing and nipping his way down to her shoulder, she needed sleep even more badly than he had thought. He smiled against her skin when her shoulders drooped and her head lolled forward, the tension of her long day almost literally melting away. Kissing her shoulder once more for good measure, he took a step away from her and smoothly slid down the zipper holding the two panels of red satin together before pushing the straps off her shoulders. He rested one hand on her hip and reached the other around her to pull her hair back so that it cascaded down her now nearly bare back. He kissed her one last time, softly on the top of her head, before turning and walking to the dresser.

When Puck turned back to her after discarding his dress clothes and pulling on the pajama pants that he had been keeping in Rachel's underwear drawer since about his second week in New York, it was like déjà vu. A pool of red satin gathered around her waist, leaving her upper body once again exposed except for that fuckin' awesome red bra, as Rachel hopped on one foot and tried desperately to rid the other foot of its shoe. He laughed a little, quietly and under his breath, before taking a seat at the foot of the bed. "C'mere Rach." She looked over her shoulder at him sheepishly before walking to join him on the bed. "Lemme get 'em."

Rachel sat gingerly on Puck's thigh and let him lean over her to open the clasp on each shoe before she toed them off, letting them land askew on the floor. "Noah," she began when he sat back up and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, "thank you." He looked at her curiously, but she kept going. "I don't even really know what else to say, so just … thank you. Today was incredible. Perfect, really."

"Even the part where you have to live with a boy?" His girl didn't get to be named after 'Friends' without having seen every episode, several times. A few hours after he asked her if he could move in he called to (mostly) jokingly ask her if she'd freaked out yet to Mercedes that she 'has to live with a boy.' (So maybe he'd also seen some of the episodes – more times than he would care to admit.) Rachel dropped her head to Puck's shoulder as he tightened his grip on her and shook her playfully from side to side.

"Especially that part." She turned her head on his shoulder and leaned in to kiss the underside of his jaw. "I am a little worried though," she sighed. She felt Puck stiffen. "Blaine's not upset with you, is he? I mean you guys have been roommates for over three years now, and you were right in the middle of a lease, and …"

Puck untangled himself from Rachel and fell back onto the bed so that he was laying on his back and looking up at her, still on his lap with her dress half on. His hands ran lightly up and down her stomach and her back. "You kiddin' me babe? I think Kurt and Mercedes are over there right now turnin' my room into a sewin' room or some shit."

She giggled. "You know Kurt _designs_ the clothes, right? He doesn't actually make them."

"Whatever," he shrugged. His face turned serious again and he pulled Rachel down so that she was sprawled across his chest, his hands working across her hips to help her wiggle the rest of the way out of her dress. As the dress slid to the floor in a puddle of satin, Puck's hands landed at her waist, long fingers almost spanning the expanse of her back and pulling her body down into his. "Moral of the story is, Kurt's movin' in there, I'm movin' in here, and everybody's happy." He lifted his head to kiss her quickly. "'Specially me."

And of all the looks Rachel had, the one she gave him next was Puck's favorite.

**_And there it is,  
Baby, don't move,  
I wanna soak this in,  
I've got a new favorite memory of you._ **

**_Here we go again,  
I've got a new favorite memory of you._ **


End file.
